Thank You for Believing in Me
by Akiko Natsuko
Summary: "You can do it," he repeated firmly, pouring all his faith and the love that he still wasn't quite ready to put into words, into those two little words. "And if you can't, then I am right here and we will do it together."


Hak frowned as Yona slipped and stumbled yet again. In the past he might have thought nothing of it, remembering how she had been when they'd first had to flee, but that was a long time ago and the girl, no woman in front of him had grown beyond belief. She had faced worst things than this narrow path leading up the mountains, and yet it was though nothing had changed as she seemed to waver and then teetered worryingly close to the edge, barely making an effort to catch herself.

"Yona!" He snapped, worry making his voice sharp even as he sprang forward to catch her before she could fall. At once he felt the heat that was radiating from her body, and he cursed, even as he pulled her back onto the path, mindful of the drop stretching out below them as he turned her so that he could look at her face. She was flushed, but it wasn't the healthy of pink of exertion, but something more dangerous and now that he could see her face, he could see that she was breathing in short, sharp pants, as though there wasn't enough air in the world. "Yona?" He asked, softer this time, fighting the urge to fall back on the comfortable 'princess' whenever something went wrong. Although he almost gave in to the urge as it took a worrying moment for her to blink and focus on him, and even then, he wasn't entirely sure that she knew what she was looking out.

_How did she get this far like this? _It had been a long day, and they'd covered quite a distance, and this couldn't have come out from nowhere. He tried to think about how she had been that morning, but while quiet, which he had put down to the fact that it was just the two of them, the others waiting for them at the next town, she had seemed normal. She'd eaten breakfast, and even cracked a joke about his cooking. _So, what changed between then and now?_

"H-Hak?" Yona finally spoke, but it didn't bring any relief because she sounded confused, blinking at him and then glancing around, and he saw a brief flicker of panic in her eyes as she spied the drop. As though she hadn't been aware of where they were all this time, and it felt as though the bottom had just dropped out of his stomach, because if she had wandered towards the edge or stumbled before he'd been aware that something was wrong. "Hak? What…?"

"It's fine," he lied, burying his fear as deeply as possible. "We've just got a little further to go and then you can rest." They wouldn't be making it to the town tonight. He would just have to hope that the others didn't panic and cause havoc like they had the last time they'd got separated, but there was no way they were going to be able to push on that far tonight.

"I…" Yona was shaking her head now, hands coming up to rest against her chest. Protecting herself and pulling away from him. "I don't think I can." _From his disappointment, _he realised, as she refused to meet his gaze. It had been a long time since she'd looked like that, and he scowled, before forcing himself to take a deep breath and work out what he wanted to say, realising that it would be easy for her to misunderstand in her current state. And the last thing he wanted to do was argue with her, especially given their current position and he sighed, moving to grip her arms, determined not to let her bolt towards the edge if she did misunderstand and trying not to react to the way that she tensed at the action.

"You can, I believe in you." _More than I ever put into words,_ he realised. He was always there at her side, he had let her make her own decisions only offering an opinion when he felt it necessary, but he hadn't said 'I believe in you', believing it to be implicit in his actions. Yet, it was clear in this moment of vulnerability at least that it hadn't been, otherwise, she wouldn't have reacted like that, and he sighed before moving one hand to rest on top of her head, waiting for her to lift her head and look at him. "You can," he repeated firmly, pouring all his faith and the love that he still wasn't quite ready to put into words, into those two little words. "And if you can't, then I am right here and we will do it together."

"…together," she echoed, seeming to mull the idea over, before nodding and leaning into him, pressing her forehead against his chest.

He let her remain like that for a few minutes, feeling the heat coming from her and wishing that Yun had stayed with them. He knew enough to deal with a fever, and basic injuries and illnesses, and he hoped that whatever this was fell under those labels, but this was Yona, and he couldn't stop the worry that was building behind his mask. "Come on," he murmured eventually when she showed no intention of moving. "We'll take it a step at a time, okay?"

Yona nodded, and he saw a flicker of her usual determination as she turned around and immediately wavered unsteadily, and he was quick to step up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm right here." Her fingers brushed his for just a second and then she was moving. She was still unsteady on her feet, but whether the rest had helped or the hand on her shoulder was grounding her, but she wasn't as bad as before.

Still, their progress was slower than he liked, and he was acutely aware of how exposed they were on this path. Not that anyone should be looking for them this way, which was why they had taken the route, letting the Dragons draw attention away from them after they'd had a couple of two close calls in the past few weeks. However, it was still a relief when the path started to widen out, and he could see where it joined the pass up ahead, and he curled his fingers against Yona's shoulder. "We're nearly there, you can do this." There was no reply, but she seemed to straighten and try her best to move a little fast, and his heart twisted in his chest.

_And I doubted her…_

That last burst of energy seemed to exhaust her though, because as soon as the path broadened and flattened, offering them a view of the main road that curved through the mountains she faltered, and it was only Hak's guidance that saw her reach the side of the road. It was too exposed, but she was trembling now and while they would need to find somewhere at least a short distance from the road before they could settle for the night, she needed to rest, and he gently pressed her down onto a large boulder and crouched down in front of her. "You did it," he said, reaching up to brush her hair away from her forehead before resting the back of her hand across her forehead. It was still much to warm to the touch, and she leaned into his hand, chasing the offered comfort.

He left it there for a minute until her gaze and attention wandered, and then he moved to sit beside her on the boulder, unsurprised when she immediately leaned into him, letting him take most of her weight as she gazed out at something that only she could see. He let her be, focusing on the press of her, and the heat and trembling gripping her body, and he nearly jumped when she finally broke the silence, voice soft.

"Hak…"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for believing in me…"


End file.
